There are numerous surgical, cosmetic, therapeutic and dermatological procedures that involve maneuvering an area of skin. Hair transplantation is one of those procedures and it typically involves harvesting donor hair grafts from the “donor areas,” and implanting them in a bald area (“recipient area”). There are various known tools and instruments used for harvesting and implantation of the follicular units (“FUs”), including various needles, punches, and forceps. Hair transplantation is very labor-intensive and complex procedure that requires skill and precision. During procedures manually performed by a physician, in order to tension a skin surface in the area of hair harvesting or implantation, pressure is typically applied adjacent the target location using two fingers. Similar skin tensioning technique is used in various cosmetic and dermatological procedures other than hair transplantation.
One automated system for harvesting follicular units from a body surface is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication 2007/0078466. In one embodiment a skin tensioner in the form of two tines presses against a skin surface to thereby tension the skin and enable the FUs to stand more erect relative to the scalp surface.
There are commercially available surgical retractors that hold tissue away from the operating field, including those manufactured by Lone Star Medical Products, Inc. These retractors, however, are not very suitable for skin tensioning required for procedures, such as hair transplantation.